Well, this sort of sounds like the often referenced rock and hard place. I need the machine to breathe but it may be facilitating the progression of PD.

It sounds from the discussion that the onset of PD symptoms and the onset of sleep apnea are probably unrelated. That was my original question. I certainly wasn't expecting to learn about a possible beneficial role of hypoxemia. I had anticipated that it would make PD worse.

I'm not sure where to go from this point. At 6'3" and 210 lbs, I'm not what most would call over-weight. I am trying to get my weight down to about 190, which is what it was when I was in my 30's. It's also what I weighed when the apnea started, however. Also, Heidi has recommended a gluten-free diet. I'm looking into that as well.

Perhaps, with the right changes, I may be able to get off the CPAP machine. It has helped so much that it's difficult to accept that there may be a down side to its use.

I have to say that I'm a bit taken aback by this turn of events. Perhaps I should visit the sleep apnea forum to see what I can learn there.

Karl